Minister Priyank Kharge compares media with terrorists, later retracts
Bengaluru, Jan 24: Karnataka social welfare minister Priyank Kharge Thursday caused a stir after seeking to compare media with terrorists claiming incidents of "partial truth" in reporting, but later clarified he meant no offence.
"Nobody should take offensive. My personal opinion is that the terrorists kill with a single bullet but the media keeps killing, he told a group of students of mass communication here, adding he himself was a victim.
Media does not listen completely and presents only partial truth without thinking of the consequences, he alleged.
In this era of breaking news, in this era of TRP, only partial is heard and partial truth is made public. Nobody is bothered to check whether that is true or false, or good or bad. I am also a victim of it, the minister said.
Kharge sermoned students that he was saying so to make them understand their responsibilities as journalists.
You too have as much responsibility as we (policymakers) have because you are opinion creators, Kharge said.
On the back foot after drawing criticism, Kharge said he did not liken journalists with terrorists.
"I never likened journalists with terrorists. My only objective was to tell the students of journalism to stand by the truth. I have huge respect for media and their independence.
"Being the fourth pillar of democracy, I only appealed it to stand by truth. My statement should not be taken in a wrong way. I request you that my statement was not to demoralise you," Kharge later said in a series of tweets.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
